Toshiba building massive 13-inch tablet

Mark Raby, 10th April 2012

Toshiba believes when it comes to tablets, bigger is definitely better.

The Excite 13 measures in at an impressive 13 inches. The 2.2-pound device is about 30% bigger than an iPad, with a display that is more like one you'd see on a laptop than something you'd carry in one hand.

It packs in an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera. It also has an SD card slot, microUSB port, and micro HDMI support.

The tablet will come loaded with the latest version of Android, version 4.0 also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. Toshiba says it's mainly for home use; it's not really ideal for taking on the subway. This is the first time we've seen a tablet without a goal of portability.

It's a bold move for the company as everyone continues to try and answer the question of how to differentiate a device from the iPad.

A lot of Android tablets are the same, coming in at either 10 inches to compete directly with the iPad, or 7 inches to win over the users who want something cheaper and more compact.

For Toshiba, though, it's taking an approach that no other company has yet. It could pay off or it could be a complete flop. We'll just have to wait and see.

The Excite 13 will be available in the summer. Pricing will be in line with the iPad, with a 32 GB model going for $649 while the 64 GB unit will sell for a retail price of $749.